A Kindred Spirit
by Hannah Stark
Summary: This is the story of Elena and Jeremy Gilbert's little sister, Emilia. At the age of fifteen, she is trying to find herself and figure out being a teenager after losing her parents and now dealing with all of the supernatural baggage that comes with being in Mystic Falls as well as the baggage from resurfacing memories that she had put out of her mind long ago.


Emilia Gilbert sat in her father's favorite reclining chair by the fire curled under an old blanket that had once belonged to her mother's mother. The chair was a faded shade of red and well worn in, and described as uncomfortable by most who sat in it. To this day, it was still Emilia's favorite spot. She watched curiously as her sister Elena came through the front door and into the entryway with the new guy from school, Stefan Salvatore. It had taken all but one day for Elena and Stefan to become an item, but this was the first that she had brought him home to introduce him.

"Hi guys! Jer, Emmy, this is Stefan," Elena said to her younger siblings.

"Nice to meet you, man," Jeremy said, putting down his xbox controller and standing up from his seat on the couch, holding out a hand for Stefan to shake.

Emilia returned her concentration to her book and didn't move from her spot under the blanket. She felt Elena and Stefan's eyes on her.

"Emilia, did you hear me or are you being rude?" Elena asked, compelling her sister to look up and say hello.

"It's fine Elena," Stefan said, calming her when he sensed the tension.

Stefan turned back to the young girl who was now looking at him from across the room. He took in the image of the youngest Gilbert. Elena and Emilia looked alike only because they styled their hair in a similar way, long and straight. Emilia was also slim like her sister, but the youngest Gilbert was blonde, with eyes more green than brown, and a few inches shorter.

"Emilia was my sister's name. You remind me of her, actually."

"What happened to her?" Emilia asked, putting her bookmark in the page and looking up to meet Stefan's gaze.

"Emilia!" Elena scolded.

"It's fine, Elena," Stefan answered, "She died when she was thirteen. It was an accident."

The words 'it was an accident' fell heavy on the room as Stefan said them. The three Gilbert siblings were quiet as Stefan's mind wandered briefly to a memory of his younger sister.

_"__Miss Mia, get out here and enjoy yourself a little," Katherine called out to the young girl. _

_Katherine was throwing around the ball with Stefan and Damon, playing a game of catch and run while Mia sat on the back porch steps with a book borrowed from one of the college boys in town placed in her lap._

_"__I'm reading!" she answered, not bothering to look up._

_"__Actually, my dear little sister, you are just being dreadfully boring and I do require some assistance here from a certain little golden haired darling if I am to win this game."_

_Mia looked up, ready to roll her eyes and Damon was already by her side._

_"__Damon, you're supposed to be an adult."_

_"__And you are supposed to be a child. Little sister, you spend far too much time in your books and not enough time having fun."_

_He took the book from her hands and tossed it to the side, lifting her over his shoulder and out into the garden while Stefan and Katherine laughed._

_"__Books are fun! You put me down this instant, Damon Salvatore!"_

"_Dostoyevsky is not fun, dear sister. I will put you down when you agree to have some real fun with us."_

_"__Damon! Stop it!" she squealed as he tickled her to the ground where she continued to thrash about._

_"__Stefan, save me!" she called out_

_"__Only if you're on my team," he answered, pulling Damon off their little sister and tackling him to the ground. She stood up quickly and ran towards where Katherine stood in the garden._

_"__I think not, dear brothers. Sisters before misters. That's what Kat taught me," Emilia answered before taking Katherine's hand and running from the boys. It wasn't long before Stefan and Damon had caught up with them. Stefan took his sister into his arms, tickling relentlessly to the sounds of her giggles and screams until she promised to be on his team an defeat Damon._

Emilia's quiet voice broke Stefan from his reverie when the silence became too much for her to handle.

"I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you, Stefan."

"It's very nice to meet you as well, Emilia."

Jeremy had made himself scarce before dinner time, but Emilia had no place to go. The Lockwood siblings, Ashley and Tyler, were required to be home for dinner, something their mother had put together. Matt had a shift at The Grill. Rosalie was having dinner with Jake. Jenna was staying at school for the night to work on a big project.

Emilia joined Elena, Bonnie and Stefan in the kitchen when called to dinner, sitting beside Bonnie and across from Stefan at the table. It was an awkward dinner to say the least, but Emilia stayed quiet, just listening to their conversation about Bonnie's family witch history.

"Emilia, what do you like to-"

Stefan was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"I wonder who that could be," Elena said as she stood up to answer the door.

Caroline's voice could be heard coming through the door. She carried in dessert and placed it on the table.

"Hi baby Gilbert," Caroline said kissing Emilia on the cheek, "We brought some dessert."

"Who's we?" Emilia asked staring at the man who followed her in.

"Oh, how very rude of me! This is Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother. Damon, this is Elena's baby sister, Emilia Gilbert."

Damon stared at her with the same look that Stefan had at the announcement of her name.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Emilia Gilbert."

"Same to you. And with that, this party has become a little too big for me. I am going for a run," Emilia said, pushing herself away from the table.

"Isn't it a little late for a run?" Elena asked.

"Just to the Grill and back. I'll check in with Matt and Jer and then come home," Emilia answered.

"It's dark out and you're-."

"I'm what, Elena? It's Mystic Falls, not New York City. I'll be fine."

"She has a point there, Elena. Mystic Falls is pretty safe comparatively," Damon offered.

"Thank you," Emilia answered, "My sister is just mildly over protective sometimes. I'll text you when I get to the Grill."

Leaving no room for further argument, Emilia headed up the stairs to change. Running was what was getting her through the days since the accident. Jeremy had been taking drugs all summer, Elena had been writing in her diary and Emilia was running. She wasn't fast; it hurt her lungs in the beginning, but after the first full month, she started to feel a release. It didn't hurt that long hard runs helped her to sleep at night. It also helped that she didn't run alone anymore. Most days, she met Tyler somewhere in between their houses. They always took the same route, which doubled back when they reached the cemetery, insuring that they would meet someplace along the run.

Tonight, Tyler wasn't waiting for her outside the gates of his house so she continued on her way to the Grill by herself, taking her time until she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey Gilbert," he said as he caught up to her.

"Hey Lockwood," Emilia answered, picking up her pace.

"Angry today?" he asked, "I'll bite. I bet my story is better."

Tyler sped away in front of Emilia, causing her to sprint in order to catch up.

"You're an ass, Tyler. You know I can't go that fast."

"Yes you can. You're getting better."

"How's Vicki?" she asked changing the subject in a direction that she was sure Tyler didn't want to talk about.

"Caught in a very exciting love triangle between your brother and myself."

"Hm. If Vicki liked nice guys this would be no contest because like I said, you're an ass."

"Well, she is with me. Your brother is a dirt bag and you are a little bit nasty today, Emmy Gilbert. What is it?"

"Nothing. I got formally introduced to Stefan and Damon Salvatore today."

"Now you want to talk about assholes," Tyler mused.

"They seemed fine to me, but Elena and Jeremy are driving me nuts lately."

"I understand being annoyed with Jeremy, but Elena?"

"She's just being herself. Being overprotective and motherly, but thankfully Jer causes more trouble than me."

"Because you're just some perfect little angel?" Tyler laughed.

"Oh, whatever, Tyler."

"You think I don't know what happened to my father's alcohol stash this summer? I may have taken the fall for it, but that has your name written all over it."

Emilia smirked at the boy and ran a little faster.

"Oh you want to race?" Tyler asked pulling ahead of her.

Emilia caught up, but wasn't able to pass. He slowed to a stop in front of the Grill and Emilia headed inside to find Jeremy or Matt.

"Hey Emmy. The kitchen is about to close. Do you want something?" he asked.

"No thanks. I told psycho sister I would check in here before running back home. Can you text her for me?"

Matt looked hesitant.

"C'mon it's been four months, Matt."

"Yeah, four months that I have spent thinking that she needed space. She is clearly cozying up to Stefan and doesn't need any more space."

"Fine. I was the best girlfriend's little sister ever, but fine. I'll ask Jer. Have you seen him around?"

"If you can find Vicki, I'm sure you'll find him."

"Thanks, Matt."

It wasn't long before she spotted Jer at a table that Vicki was clearing.

"Hey," she said, stepping next to her brother.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Out for a run. They were driving me nuts at home. Just text Elena for me. Let her know I'm on my way back," she answered.

"You're out running alone?" he asked surprised, "It's almost 10:00."

"I'm safe. I've got my reflective gear."

Emilia twirled, showing off the jacket while Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll see you at home. I'm on my way out."

"Thanks, Jer."

She headed back outside where Tyler was waiting on a bench in town square.

"Took you long enough," he said.

Tyler and Emilia weren't supposed to be friends. Jeremy would flip. Elena would be less than impressed. Ashley would just be jealous if they knew that they actually talked during the runs. Emilia told Tyler almost more than she told his younger sister these days. Emilia was a freshman and Tyler was a junior. In the real world it wasn't much of a difference, but Emilia understood that in the high school world, it was a little weird.

"Well your best friend still has a complex about my sister and my brother has a complex about your best friend's sister. So that can take some time. Let's go. Jer says he's heading out soon and I'd rather not be seen wandering around Mystic Falls late at night with the likes of you."

"Funny, Gilbert and who exactly is it you would like to be seen around town with late at night? You seem to get me to tell you all of my girl troubles and I can't seem to get anything out of you."

"That's easy. I don't like anyone right now."

"I doubt that. You're a fifteen year old girl."

"And boys in Mystic Falls are idiots," she answered confidently, "I'm not interested. I just want to read my books and get good grades and go to college far, far away from here."

"And, here we are, the nerdy Emilia Samantha Gilbert is back."

"How do you know that?" Emilia snapped.

"Because I will never forget all of the times when you were just a little kid and at each and every one of the town events, you couldn't just sit still and do what you were supposed to. You had to roam and touch things and your Dad would just say your full name, not even yell it and you would go scurrying back and do what you were supposed to…" Tyler answered, "For about five minutes."

He smirked at her.

"You know, I seem to remember hearing a Tyler Richard Lockwood's name being _yelled_ on several occasions, very loudly. Again tomorrow night?" she asked.

"First off, don't call me that ever again. And we have the game, remember?"

"Right, your new teammate mentioned that tonight at dinner. I'll see ya later, Tyler Richard."

"Don't think I won't kick your ass just because you're a girl."

Emilia smirked at him as she ran towards her house.

"Goodnight, Tyler."


End file.
